Clutch-operating mechanism



J. F. WRIGHT CLUTCH OPERATING MECHANISK Filed D60. 9, 1922 June 21 1927.

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Patented June 21, 1927.

UNITED STATES ,PATENT @FMC-E.

JAMES F. WRIGHT, or CLEVELAND, omo, Assicurare. To fri-in MCMY-Lnn INTERs'rA'rE COMPANY, or Bannon-n, OHIO, n .consonancia or emo.

CLUTCH-QPERATING Mnormivrsivr.

pplication filed December 9., 1922:. crit-i1 No; 635,22.

The ,present invention relates to clutch operating mechanism and more particularly to a double thrust clutch operating device for simultaneously shifting right and left hand clutch members to move one to its engaging position as thc/other is moved to i'n operati\.'c position. Thev clutch shifting mechanism, as shown and described herein,

'is applied to friction cone clutches such as 1o are employed in mechanism for swinging a crane. j

lt vis .an object of the invention toprovide an ehcientclutch shifting mechanism' 'coinprising few parts which can b e easilyasseinbled, is conveniently located occupying a minimumof spaceand :providing a positive release.4

A. yfurther Objectis lto provide a shifter operable by va lever at the end of the shaft on` which .the clutches are mounted, the lever being shifted in either direction from a neutralposition in which both clutches are disengaged to engage eitl'ier lof the clutches.

. The shifter being mountedon the end of the shaft, all the thrust produced in vsetting up' the clutches is self-contained Within the shaft, no side pressure being applied 'to the supporting bearings.

The other objects will ybe apparent from the following description and accompanyingdrawings. 4 e

The following description and laccompanying drawings set forth in detail certain means embodying my invention, the disclosed means, however, constituting but one of the various mechanical forms in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

Reference should be had to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a sectional view showing the operating shaft of a crane swinging mechanism with the improved clutch mechanism thereon; Fig. 2 is a top plan view on an enlarged scale of the supporting bracket and operating lever at the end of the shaft; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through the parts shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a detail plan view of one of the arms of the forked lever.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, the crane sluing shaft 1 is hollow and has reduced ends journaled in fixed supports 2 and 3. A bearing member 4 is fixed to the shaft 1 within the fixed support 3 and engages the inner face of the support to pre* tion 5 thereof.' The bevel gears 10 and 11.

are loosely mounted upon the shaft and have inwardly extending hubs 12 and lf3 which terminate in flanges 14 and 15 adjacent to the fianges 8 and 9. VCollars 16 and 17, which have inturned flanges extending .over the .flanges 8 and 14 and 9 and 15, respee tively, serve to holdfthe bevel gears and 1 1 against longitudinal movement with r-espect to the shaft. .Suitablebearing washers may be provided between the flanges vof the gears and shaft and between the flanges of the collar and the. flanges of the gears. The lgears 10 and 11 have clutch flanges 18 and 19 respectively providing internal conicalvclutch faces which are adapted to be engaged by the shiftablecone clutch members 2O and 21. r'llhe clutch members 20 and 21 hare hubs 22 and 23, the outer portions of which have 'external screw threads to receive nuts 24 and 25 to which are secured keys2 and 27 which extend through longitudinal slots 28 and 2 9 yin the shaft 1. A push 4pin 30 fits slidably within the hollow ,shaft land is provided 'with' slots'to receive the keys 26 and 27. By shifting the push in 3 0, the clutch members 2O and 21 will e simultaneously shifted in the same direction, one towardits coopera-ting clutch mem- `ber and theI other away from its cooperating clutch member.

The shaft 1 has a reduced end portion 3l outside the Vfixed support 2 upon which is mounted a bracket 32 which has an arm 38 adapted to engage a pin onA the fixed support 2 to hold the bracket against rotation. The bracket 32 is provided with a bronze bushing 34 which is fastened to the end portion 81 of the shaft and turns in the bracket and is held in place on the shaft by means of a. lock nut 35 upon the outer end of the reduced portion 31 of the shaft which is screw threaded, a keeper 86 being provided outside the nut 35. The bracket 32 has parallel arms 37 and 38 on opposite sides of the shaft and projecting beyond the end of the shaft. The push pin 30 projects beyond the end of the shaft 1 and has a flange 39 beyond the end of the shaft. A bronze block 40 fits over the push pin 30 outside the flange 39 and is held in place by a washer' 4l keyed to the push pin and a lock nut 42 and keeper 43 on the threaded end of the push pin outside the washer 41. A two part forked lever' 44 has arms 45 which are pivoted to the outer ends ofthe arms 37 and 38 of the bracket. The arms have trunnions 46 at their ends which extend throughV the arms `37 and 38 and have flat inner faces engaging the ends of the block 40 on'the push pin. Project-ing from the inner face of each of the trunnions 46 is an eccent'rically disposed pin 47 which engage recesses in op'- posite ends of the block 40. 1When the lever` 44 is swung about its pivots the push pin is moved in one direction or theother by means of the eccentric pins 47 acting through the block on the push pin. VThe recesses receiving the pins 47 andthe bearing of the trunnions inthe arms 37 and 38 are sufficiently loose to permit the arcuate movement of the pins 47 without binding. 1Nhen the lever 44 is in the positionshown inV Y Figs. 1 and 3, the push 30 is in neutral porection comprising a bracket sleeved upon an end of said shaft and held against rotation with the shaft, said bracket having arms on opposite sides of the shaft which project past the end of the shaft, a collar loose upon said push pin beyond the end of said shaft, said coller being held against longitudinal movement with respect tothe push pin, and

a lever havinga forked endstraddling the push pin and pivoted on said arms, said lever having a. part engaging said collar to shift said push pin. Y n

2. In` a clutch controlled mechanism, the combination wth a hollow shaft and cooperating clutch elements thereon and a loiigitudinally movable clutch voperating push pin within the shaft and rotatable therewith,`of

means for shifting the push pin comprising a bracket sleeved uponV an end of the shaft and held against rotation with the shaft, said bracket having arms upon opposite sides of the shaft which' project past the end of the shaft, a two partforked lever having arms on .the outer sides of said bracket arms, pivot trunnions extending inwardly `from the `arms of the levei' and through said bracket arms, and cccentrically positioned pins on the inner faces of the pivot triinnions, a loose sleeve on said push pin having apertures therein to receive said eccentric pins, and means for holding said collar against longitudinal movement with respect to the push pin.

3. hollow shaft, clutch members mounted on the shaft, a longitudinally movable clutch operati-ng push pin within the shaft, a fixed support for `the shaft adjacent one end thereof,

said shaft extending beyond said support, a

bracket supported on said'shaft, said bracket having an arm attached to s aid fixed support and spaced` arms projecting beyond the In a clutch controlled mechanism, a

end `of the shaft on opposite sides of' the push pin, said arms having aligned bearings disposed transversely of the pin and on opposite sides thereof, a collar on the projecting end of the push pin, and a lever having spaced arms provided with trunnions jouri naled in said bearings and inwardly extending projections engaging said collar to shift said push pin.`

- In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature.

JAMES F.. WRIGHT. 

